Vianvi Reviews

Since according to this post I saw today on Facebook, today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, it seems appropriate to tell you about one of the most recent books I have read and reviewed. If you care about what happened during that second World War, don't miss this book:

Midwood has succeeded where all my history teachers failed: she grabbed my attention and held it for 277 pages as she shared the love story of two people who were never supposed to love each other: Ilse Stern, a German Jew and Willy Schultz, a Luftwaffe Captain. And yes, these two people did exist and those are their real names. Several of the other characters named in No Woman’s Land also existed.

But while the beautifully delivered love story was as touching as it gets, it was Midwood’s riveting descriptions of the inhumanity of the SS to the German and Russian Jews that made me choke up. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of documentaries and films based on that horrible time in history, but somehow, Midwood’s graphic details shocked me more. Perhaps it was because she helped us “see” the actual abuse and slaughter through Ilse’s eyes. As a reader, I felt I was watching the nearly frozen Jewish women lugging wood to heat the German officers’ offices. I could better see that German officer who liked children tossing them candies in the death pits while they waited to be massacred. And I could better feel Ilse’s own hopelessness as she and her suffering women friends faced each new day wondering if this was their last. What a horrid way to live month after month for no reason other than you are a Jew. Haunting and mind-blowing!

If stories about the Holocaust are on your bucket list, make sure you add No Woman’s Land to it immediately. Ellie Midwood has thoroughly researched her subject and characters to bring truth into fiction. She has written other books on this subject and after reading this, I know why she is a “USA best selling and award-winning historical fiction author”. This lady knows how to deliver an unforgettable and haunting novel based on reality. 5 stars!

Every so often a book comes along that you believe everyone should read. For me, The Emancipation of Evan Walls by Jeffrey Blountis that book, a story in which not only the protagonist, Evan Walls, is liberated from the demons of his youth, but through which receptive readers will be freed of uninformed notions about what it was like to grow up black in America before, and after, emancipation. This incredible story, might shock you, or at the very least, will move you to tears. Either way, you won’t forget it any time soon, if ever.

As a wide-eyed, curious and intelligent youngster, Evan loves the weekly gathering of friends and family for Kool-Aid, chatter and gossip on his parents’ verandah. At one such gathering, he tunes into Bojack’s grumblings on the status of the black people of Canaan who seem content with, and intent upon staying where years of white suppression have put them ie. not seeking to better themselves, to get an education, and one day become somebody who matters.

Evan takes Bojack’s views to heart and from that point on is determined to make something of himself. He learns to read; he slowly replaces his “black” way of speaking with proper English. He is mentored for years by both Bojack and his beloved great-grandmother Jennie, but along the way he is rejected, not just by his peers who see him as an Uncle Tom and as turning his back on his race, but by his own status-conscious mother and father. After schools become integrated, the friendless, unloved and abused Evan finds friendship in some white classmates. Unfortunately, that fuels even more anger from his family, and triggers complete isolation and violence from his black brothers. Despite a broken heart and incredible loneliness, Evan weathers it all to become a star athlete. But even that cannot salvage the damage his determination to become a somebody has caused in his personal life. He has broken the unspoken rule of accepting the status quo, of fitting in with everyone, and now he must pay the price.

The Emancipation of Evan Walls is a gut-wrenching read, delivered by a brilliant, award-winning author and television director, Jeffrey Blount. He is a master of telling a story, revealing characters and their motivations primarily through dialogue. This style of writing not only makes his characters utterly realistic and emotionally engaging, but also moves the story along quickly. This is one of those books that keep you turning pages, not because of non-stop action or unexpected twists and turns, but because of the stark reality and truths explored through the characters and setting. The Emancipation of Evan Walls is utterly riveting reading and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Brilliant!

About a month ago, I read Tribe of Daughters by Kate L. Mary and was totally blown away by the concept, theme, characters and plot based on a future world where women, not men, rule. I was keen to read more by this talented, award-winning author and didn’t hesitate one second to snatch up The Book of David. Just like that previous book, I couldn’t put this one down.

Reading well into the night until I finished the book 48 hours later, I was mesmerized by Willow Sands, a beautiful young woman born into a cult where men are everything and women’s only purpose in life is to serve men’s needs; where women must wait till the men have been fed and their dishes washed before women can eat; and where girls are betrothed when they turn 15, and on the night of the betrothal, the fiancee, with the cult-leader’s blessing is allowed to have his way with the 15-year-old. From that night onwards, she belongs to him but they will not mate again until they marry when she turns 18. The punishment for social interaction with any other males keeps women submissive, wary and afraid. Mothers and daughters alike are abused and don’t dare step out of line.

Willow’s betrothal night horrifies her but she can’t even talk to her mother about it. An attempt to escape the compound brings death to those who try to help her and subjects her to inhumane punishment once she is recaptured. 3 years later, working in compound hospital, she meets Jared. What follows is a touching story of stolen moments and dreams of escape against all odds. Do they succeed? If you’ve been sexually abused or suffered under male domination, as I have, you won’t be able to stop reading until you find out if good can win in a world that bad.

Kate L. Mary is one of those writers who is able to keep readers glued to the story despite much narration and reflection. She writes in the present tense, giving the book immediacy, handling it perfectly and leaving readers hungry for more. In the current “me too” climate, The Book of David is timely and will be understood and appreciated by female victims of sexual, physical and mental abuse. But don’t be surprised if you come away angry, that despite all the advances society is making toward gender equality, there are still far too many societies, religions and cultures who live according to principles similar to those found in The Book of David. Changes can’t happen soon enough!

Never have I read a book like Tribe of Daughters by Kate L. Mary. Everything about this science fiction novel…the possibilities, the plot, the characters, the physical, mental, sexual and cultural concepts and the writing style fired my imagination and compelled me to keep reading page after page until the book was finished. An electrifying read…and that’s saying something for a person who isn’t all that into dystopian science fiction.

We’re all familiar with the adage “It’s a man’s world”. But what happens when it’s a woman’s world? That’s the world Jameson and several other men find themselves captured and dragged into by a group of Amazonian women warriors, members of a 70-year-old mountain village ruled, if necessary, by deadly female force. Men, like male worker bees are useful only for cleaning out animal pens and having sex on demand with females ready to bear children. Male offspring from such couplings, called “yieldlings” are dismissed, when barely weaned, to the male section of the village to grow up not knowing their parents. Female children are prized, taught survival skills and become the village’s hunters, guardians and rulers.

Naturally, Jameson’s thoughts are on escape from word go, but when he witnesses what happens to those who attempt to do so, he decides to bide his time. What follows once Jameson is selected to wed and bed Wilderness, daughter of the tribe’s female leader, messes up his plans which didn’t include falling in love with Wilderness. Over time, both Wilderness and Jameson find themselves questioning what they’ve believed for years as they learn what love really is from each other and to Wilderness’ surprise, from her parents. Forget about Tribe of Daughters being science fiction: above all else, it’s a beautiful love story between a man and a woman, and between human beings and nature.

There is so much more I could say about Tribe of Daughters but doing so would spoil readers’ enjoyment of this marvellous story. I want those who read this review to experience the book for themselves. It surprised me no end to read Kate L. Mary’s comments at the back of the book where she said her agent had been unable to secure her a publishing deal. Tribe of Daughters is unique! Mary’s writing style is straightforward, uses plenty of dialogue, and has superb, but not overly long descriptions to capture the almost etherial atmosphere of the settings. Characters are well-developed and believable. Best of all, the story is so emotionally moving as well as intellectually stimulating, it’s just begging for not only a publishing deal but perhaps even a movie contract. Tribe of Daughters would be mesmerizing on the big screen. Perhaps what Kate L. Mary needs is a female publisher in our otherwise male-dominated corporate world! I hope she finds one. She deserves it. And I’m a “forever fan” of her writing!

If you’ve read the first two books in this series by Luke. G. Dahl, you will remember the pedophile Bat Erdene, a wealthy child and drug trafficker whom you met, and most likely loathed inDaddy’s Curse 2. Well now, in the final book of the series, Daddy’s Curse 3, you will learn how and why Bat Erdeen became the monster he was. Will you come away liking him more? Probably not. But you will have a better understanding of how much a father’s authority and actions affects a young boy’s future thinking and behaviour.

Born into wealth and social status, Erdene was an arrogant, but highly intelligent youngster with a strong sense of entitlement who loved his mother, and revered but feared his father. Bat’s father angered easily and was so horribly abusive to his wife that he ended up strangling her during one of his many rages. Bat, in turn, killed his father. As he grew into adulthood, fueled by father’s mantra that if he wanted to succeed in life, he had to make people submit to and obey his will, and severely punish those who disobeyed, as much as he didn’t want to be like his father, Bat Erdeen became a monster.

Those who have read the first two books will recognize some of the people whom we meet again in Daddy’s Curse 3. It’s not necessary to have read those books, but curious readers will be tempted to find out what they’ve missed by not reading them. Do it. Grab copies of both books. While the content is disturbing, often stomach-turning, the style of writing is simple and easy to read. All three books are short, but provocative and unforgettable. Book club members unafraid of discussing the ugly realities faced by too many victims of sexual and other abuse, along with man’s never-ending inhumanity to men and women, will find plenty of material in this series by Luke. G. Dahl. Highly recommended.

NOTE: Given the ongoing and growing amount of human trafficking, internet pedophilia and worldwide sexual abuse of adults and children of both sexes, can we afford to pretend this isn't happening? It's not only happening, it's increasing. Writers like Luke G. Dahl and others like me who have dared to speak up, awareness is growing. If you care about your children and those of your family and friends, as I do...and which is why I read and review books like these, grab all 3 of Luke's books from his Amazon page now. And if you can stomach more after these, check out his other book, The Gangs of Stockholm.

When Steve Freeman asks me if I’d like to review his latest novel, I never hesitate. I no longer even ask for a preview before deciding. That’s because I know if Steve Freeman wrote it, I’ll enjoy it.

And enjoy The Rebel of Goza is what I did. In less than 48 hours I closed the book with a smile so satisfied you might have thought I’d just tasted the finest tequila. Speaking of tequila, that famous Mexican drink kicks off the action in this story of Gaby, a pretty, slightly rebellious but ambitious young woman who doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life harvesting agarve and teaching Tae Kwan Do to local kids. She’s sure life has more to offer her. After she chats with her “abuelo”, her grandfather, she learns that the old buildings she can see at the fringe of their property once produced the best tequila in the region, thanks to her abuelo. Gaby decides it’s time to resurrect the distillery, with a new owner and operator: Gaby Goza!

But someone else has plans for those abandoned buildings as Gaby suddenly discovers one night when she’s checking out the setup and overhears men talking about cocaine. She runs for her life: Gaby has stumbled onto a massive Mexican drug cartel. When her grandfather is slaughtered and her brother kidnapped, Gaby forgets about restarting a distillery. With the help of her two Tae Kwan Do associates, she takes on a murderous bunch of narcos in her efforts to find her brother. Can this small trio rescue the kidnapped brother and come out alive when the cartel boss has a $25,000,000 deal going down, and over 30 gunmen protecting the stash of cocaine? Read it to find out!

Steve Freeman is a master at pulling off a high-powered, fast moving plot with realistic, moving characters and wonderfully detailed, but not heavy descriptions. He enjoys keeping chapters short…but it’s rare to be able to stop at the end of each chapter. You just have to read one more, then one more. That’s how I read this one in 48 hours.

Much to my delight, Freeman has an most unexpected surprise for his readers after the story concludes. No, it’s not a bottle of Gaby Goza’s Tequila, but … well, read the book and see for yourself. Makes me want to book a flight to Guadaloupe to sip Tequila!

There’s a certain political figurehead, who shall remain nameless, but who never fails to make the evening news reports. When he begins bragging, I either put my hands over my ears or grab the remote to press “mute”. I can’t stand the sound of this man’s voice.

Well Susan Strickland, protagonist of The Mute Button by Linda S. Amstutz suddenly develops an unwanted and upsetting deafness toward all men’s voices, including that of her dear husband. Now just try to imagine not hearing anything your hubby says. Bliss right? Well not really as Amstutz proves in the delightfully funny, but rather poignant social commentary she affords readers of The Mute Button. Female readers, especially, will be amused by Susan’s “selective hearing” when it comes to men. But, on a more serious note, they will also find themselves agreeing big time with the reasons Susan has developed this problem.

Trying to help Susan cope with this situation which is negatively affecting her marriage and her daughter, Lauren, are the other three ladies who belong to Susan’s monthly lunch club, all of whom are named Susan. Cute! But as the story quickly unfolds, through these other Susans, readers get even more insight into why women might choose to selectively listen to men.

As I laughed my way through this wonderful book, a recent memory popped into my head: I remember seeing my own dear hubby, on more than one occasion, clasp his hands over his ears when I was going on and on about something I felt he needed to do. He shouted: “Okay enough already!” No wonder my husband is about 85% deaf. Or does he too have selective deafness?

Linda S. Amstutz has only a handful of 5-star reviews of this book on Amazon. She deserves fifty! Amstutz has been writing humor for 25 years. Her essays have been republished several times and she has a good collection of books that I, for one, would love to read. Incidentally, it's not just the concept and themes behind The Mute Button that makes this book so deserving of your time: Amstutz' style is easy-going, with lots of dialogue and no wasted words or time.

Have I found a new favorite author? You bet! Highly recommended when your spirit needs a lift and a laugh.

Reading a novel like Escape from Vietnam by Howard Cohen is so much more than enjoying an intricate, riveting plot and engaging with realistic and touching characters. It’s an opportunity for enlightenment, not just about the horrors experienced by both soldiers and those they tried to help during the Vietnam war, but about what it is like to live under communist rule. And it is that last factor that propels the action in Escape from Vietnam and leaves readers grateful they don’t live there, even today.

The key characters, the beautiful Vietnamese woman, Lan, and James, a green beret, became lovers during the Vietnam war. The war separates them, each eventually marrying someone in their own country. Now, in 2018, after years of non-communication between them, Lan tracks down James in North Carolina and asks for his help. James obliges, flies to Vietnam and what he learns shocks him. Lan, and members of her family, desperately need James’ help to escape unscrupulous and cruel members of the powerful Communist party. Aided by Lan’s trusted servants, James follow Lan’s plans that involve two separate escapes. The chances of success seem more unlikely with each turn of the page and readers are breathless wondering what will happen next.

It’s interesting that while Lan and James are the main characters, some of the minor characters, like Chang, are impossible to forget too. There are so many characters who touch you with their loyalty and strength, and others who make you shudder with their cruelty. The depictions of torture used to extract information makes one cringe. Escape from Vietnam will engage reader interest from start to finish.

In the dedication of Typo Squad (yes, some of us do read dedications and introductions), Stephen Lomer tells us this crazily brilliant book of his is dedicated to proofreaders and copy editors. He needs to add book reviewers to that list ie… all of us tasked with the job of rating books and trying to explain why we just couldn’t give this or that masterpiece 5 or even 4 stars because of the grammar, punctuation, spelling, incorrect word usage and above all, typos!

In a kind of “Men in Black” scenario, the Typo Squad is on the lookout for typos in books, papers, even store signs. The members of the Typo Squad are particularly sensitive to typos and spotting them causes the members to react strangely. Some vomit; others swear; one even has orgasms! The protagonist, Richard Shonnary, falls into drunken stupors. If you’re beginning to sense this book is humorous, you’re right. It would probably have Howie Mandell’s hand reaching for the golden buzzer.

Lomer writes Typo Squad as it were a mystery. Shonnary is summoned back from retirement after typos start appearing in droves, probably thanks to the current reliance on auto-corrects that don’t correct, our obsession with texting, and the fact that teachers stopped teaching grammar decades ago. In fact, dare I suggest that many of today's teachers wouldn't recognize bad grammar if it hit them between the eyes? There, I've finally said it.

Shonnary and his team set out to find the villain causing all the chaos, and because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of this escapade, I’m refraining from sharing some of the punny names of Shonnary’s assistants. You see, figuring out what they mean is half the fun of reading this book!

If you are going to read Typo Squad, and I do recommend it, keep an open mind and prepare to laugh. It is certainly a clever concept and Lomer carries it off beautifully. Since the book is based on the angst some of us feel when we’re reading and keep hitting typos and grammar problems, I had to giggle when I spotted an incorrect use of “lie” and “lay”. And Stephen, you must forgive me for the shriek I let out when I read these sentences containing one of the worst abominations of grammar ever:

“Chicago was yanked roughly off of him and dragged backward”

“He pulled the straightjacket off of Dick and helped him to his feet.”

Please send out an APB to the Typo Squad immediately. We need that abomination eradicated NOW!

In summary, Typo Squad is witty, unique and grammar nerds will love it. So let your hair down and enjoy!

What an amazing mix of the believable and unbelieveable, the possible and impossible Diane May has blended into this, her debut novel, EVO. This crime fiction story Is an impressive beginning to May’s writing career.

Evo is 574 pages of suspenseful reading which might just keep you up late if you read at bedtime. Picture, if you dare, a dark figure who has an augmented ability to hypnotize people to death…their own. Is he real? Yes…and he’s also angry, full of revenge and he has several doctors on his hit list for their participation in turning him into that real life monster.

With bodies piling up in Verona, Italy, the police are going crazy trying to find this deadly hypnotist. But an even more deadly situation is about to be unleashed, not just on Verona but the entire world. A mysterious virologist, known only as “Doc” has perfected a vaccine that can turn ordinary, healthy human beings into something akin to super humans, both physically and mentally. Such super-humans will enjoy longer than normal lifespans. Just think for a moment of the ramifications of a world where millions of people live a century or two longer than we do now? How will our already over-populated planet sustain all those lives? The simplest solution, of course, would be to have the same vaccine eliminate unhealthy, undesirable humans. Talk about a sinister plot!

That is a very limited synopsis of what takes place in EVO…but for a simple reason: you just have to read this book! It’s spell-binding! Diane May’s characters are realistic, so much so we feel every emotion experienced by the lovely and gifted, Maya, her ex-boyfriend, Alex, and even the legendary detective, Livio Marchiori as both Alex and Livio try to find not just the Hypnotist, but the madmen behind the vaccine before they, and half the world is possibly wiped out. The tension mounts and runs at an all-time high until almost the last page. Trust me, you won’t be able to put this one down.

May’s background working as an interpreter in criminal law cases along with her knowledge of weapons, discipline and military life, coupled with the research she has done for Evo give this novel authenticity. If EVO is any indication, crime fiction fans are about to discover a fresh, very creative and gifted author in Diane May. She is already working on her second book, Till Death Do Us Part. Can’t wait to read it Diane!

If I could give "Embracing the Wild in your Dog" by Bryan Bailey, ten stars in every category, I would. Never before have I read a non-fiction book that enlightens, disturbs andinspires all at once, and leaves me wondering if I even took a breath from the time I opened the book.

As I read the last page and checked Bryan Bailey's biography, I let out an audible sigh. If the sigh could speak, it would say brilliant and breath-taking.

"Embracing the Wild in your Dog" is both of those. It is also a memoir and an instructional book. But its premise and its concepts may not be embraced or welcomed by all who cannot think of that little fluffy puppy in their laps as a wolf. But he is...at least instinctively, and Bryan Bailey makes sure you know that by the time you're finished reading.

As soon as I'd read the first few chapters, I began looking at my little Shorkie, Duffy, through a different lens. I realized that when he first took a light nip of my grand-daughter's lip and our gut reaction was to yell at Duffy for his bad behaviour while we wiped away her tears, that Duffy's reaction to having his neck grabbed in a hug constituted a threat and he was merely issuing a warning...as his now very distant forebears, the wolves would have done. I have now learned that no amount of breeding these "fur covered humans on four legs" is going to breed out the wolf in him. As an Indian chief explained to the author's mentor, "Because a dog carries a wolf inside of him, he also carries the wolf’s prints. The wolf goes with him everywhere he goes." Sadly, today's dog owners live in denial of this truth. As a result, children and adults are being bitten and dogs are being euthanized, while vet bills and law suits drain bank accounts because we dog lovers don't want to acknowledge the wolf in our dogs.

"Embracing the Wild in your Dog" by Bryan Bailey is also the story of a boy growing up in the harsh Alaskan climate and learning about survival from a soldier who had learned the same from studying wolves. At one point, this soldier took an accidentally self-inflicted bullet to his neck while the two were trekking in the frozen north. Weak and bleeding profusely, he continued the journey because the wolves had taught him that to lie down was to die. Yes, this book is all about being tough and that adage: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going".

When Bailey shares stories like this or others about what happens in nature when animals face possible death, "Embracing the Wild in your Dog" becomes far more than just instructional: it is the beautifully moving memoir of a young man and his mentor. At times, readers may find themselves arguing, even outraged by Bailey's stance on how to raise and enjoy your beloved dogs, but I guarantee that after reading this book, you will never look at your dog again in the same way. The next time little Bella is being a "naughty doggie" you will find yourselfquestioning whether it is Bella, or you, who needs to be disciplined.

Now, let’s face it: those of us who love dogs or have one as a pet knows they are magical. After all, they can turn tears into laughter and at times, be a greater comfort to us than our human friends and family when we are suffering. They have some innate sense that we need them nearby.

And that’s how it is with Spot. When he is left, as a puppy, on the Jordan family’s steps, Spot immediately knows it’s 8-yeaar-old Emma who has leukemia who needs him most. His positive affect on her is well, magical. But rascal that he is, when he gets lost chasing a rabbit, desperately hungry he is welcomed into Janie’s home. Janie has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around. Just as Spot did with Emma, he enchants Jane’s family. But he hasn’t forgotten Emma and knows he must get back to her. Before he takes off to find his way back home, he leaves one of his spots on Jane’s face. What happens to Jane when she realizes Spot’s gone? It’s magical!

Spot eventually reunites with the Jordan family but along the way, he finds folks who need his spots and makes sure he leaves one with them. He’s a bit like an angel sprinkling magic stardust wherever it can help someone. Once back home with Emma, he has almost no spots left except the unusual red heart spot in his brow. He gives that very special spot to Emma before he leaves again. Why didn’t he stay with Emma? Where did he go?

Read A Healing Spot to learn how not just Spot, but each of us has a healing spot inside us. A beautifully true message in a magical story.

As a long time fan of Steve Freeman's writing, I couldn't wait to get stuck into Thirty Seconds To Live. The funny part about this is I was reading 2 other books when this complimentary copy arrived. I just wanted to take a peek and you can guess what happened next. The other 2 books got put on the back burner as Freeman swept me, literally, into an ocean of action as a low draft jet boat went out of control, smashed into a rock slab and all passengers perished. As he always does, Freeman had me hook, line and sinker. 36 hours later, I closed Thirty Seconds to Live and sighed with satisfaction. Another great Steve Freeman adventure.

This book is #10 in the Blackwell Series that stars Alton and Mallory Blackwell who are often called in to investigate and help solve particularly complicated cases. In this case, the action starts in New Zealand and ends up sending the Blackwells to Egypt and back to the US to try and piece together just who was the primary target in this opening disaster and of course, who was behind it and why.

There are so many possibilities but will readers outguess the Mallorys? Freeman keeps readers in suspense and flipping pages as he carefully times his release of clues, in between the Mallorys being shot at time and again. Somehow the assassin is always a step ahead and knows exactly where the Mallorys will be. And that assassin is prepared to pay huge dollars for their demise. Why?

One of the reasons Steve Freeman is a joy to read is a combination of short chapters that unfold quickly because the author is so skilled in using dialogue. Dialogue keeps the action moving and this book is primarily dialogue. Little wonder I couldn't put it down: I always had to read just one more chapter! It's obvious Freeman wants us to enjoy his stories, not labour over them. And because of Freeman's personal background (check his bio) his novels ring with authenticity.

Thanks Steve for another great read. I look forward to #11 in this series, coming out in 2019